Most parents would put their children ahead of their occupation at all costs. In many cases this is true, but for Rappacini in Nathaniel Hawthorne's "Rappacini's Daughter," his scientific experiments prove to be more important to him than his daughter Beatrice's wellbeing. His selfishness leads to both the physical and emotional destruction of Beatrice's romantic aspirations for Giovanni Guasconti. The unique situations encountered in "Rappacini's Daughter", represent an emotional struggle for Beatrice, which relates to the different interpretations of scientific advancement during this Romantic Era.

An important theme in "Rappacini's Daughter" is the fear of change and progress, and how Beatrice becomes intertwined with both science and nature. During this Romantic Era, many people thought that scientific advancements would destroy nature. Rappacini symbolizes the destructiveness of science, whereas Beatrice represents the beauty of nature. Outwardly Rappacini has made Beatrice a threat to nature and humanity by making her poisonous, but inwardly she thrives on nature's existence. Beatrice's inability to interact with any individuals besid

McNeill, J. Dylan. "Rappaccini's Daughter: From Mythological Monster to Martyr." Essex. April 1998.

Hawthorne, Nathaniel. "Rappaccini's Daughter". The American Tradition in Literature. Vol 1 Ed. Perkins,

Most scientific development was generally considered to be heresy during the Romantic Era. Baglioni gives Giovanni the antidote to the poison which he and Beatrice have both ingested, in order to help Rappacini come to the realization that what he is doing is evil ("Bible" 1). Rappacini is also striving to become more like God ("Bible 1"). He tries to inform others that he has a greater sense of knowledge and reasoning while also claiming to envision their flaws ("Bible" 1). Both Adam and Eve and Baglioni are placed in new environments, in order to master their own superiority ("Bible" 1). Their ambition to become something greater relates to Rappacini's scheme of his unhealthy obsession with science. Even Baglioni understand the limits of science. In the last lines of the story, "Baglioni looked forth from the window, and called loudly, in a tone of triumph mixed with horror, to the thunderstricken man of science- 'Rappacini! Rappacini! And this is the upshot of your experiment?" (Hawthorne 1655) Rappacini's evil scientific ways finally catch up with him when he ultimately causes the death of Beatrice.

Along with the mythological comparisons, Beatrice and other characters in "Rappacini's Daughter" also have biblical references, which parallel to their life's emotional struggle in the story. Much like chapters two and three in the Book of Genesis, Rappacini tries to become more like God by trying to achieve the power of being able to change plants and humans in the garden ("Bible" 1). Therefore, giving him more authority over the garden and its belongings ("Bible" 1). In Genesis chapter three, Adam and Eve, who can be linked to Giovanni and Beatrice, experiment in the garden by tasting the forbidden fruit, which they believe will make them more like God ("Bible" 1). However, in both situations, the result is not that the individuals become more like God, but that they are stuck in a dilemma which they have to suffer under adversity that they had not expected ("Bible" 1). When Beatrice dies she says that she is going where the p

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Approximate Word count = 1526
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page double spaced)